1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for automatically analyzing digital video quality, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for automatically analyzing digital video quality, which can be applied to fields that produce digital video contents, such as digital movie, computer graphics, digital broadcasting, advertisement, and publication, and provide content services. In the apparatus and method of the present invention, final digital video is analyzed according to video quality analyzing factors, which are predefined so as to determine video quality, and the analysis results normalized according to the video quality analyzing factors are provided in a form of numerical values and graphs, thereby allowing video producers to modify the digital video according to the analysis results.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a conventional process of producing digital video contents using a computer does not include a series of processes of analyzing digital video quality, modifying the digital video contents based on the analysis results, and producing high-quality digital video contents. The video quality is determined by complicated factors, such as an intention of a producer, a color reproduction of an imaging device, and a subjective assessment of a viewer with respect to the digital video quality. Therefore, in the current technology of producing and reproducing digital video contents, it is very difficult to unify the complicated factors to one reference factor for assessing the digital video quality and modifying the digital video contents.
When a reference video exists, the reference for human's assessment of video quality with respect to color video contents is greatly influenced by factors such as shapes and textures of objects that commonly exist in the reference video and the target video. On the contrary, when a reference video does not exist, the reference is greatly influenced by color factors, such as brightness or sharpness. Therefore, an apparatus for analyzing a standardized video quality is demanded which can automatically analyze the digital video quality and provide the analysis results, based on the above-described characteristics, so that the viewers can give high assessment to the finally modified digital video contents.
Meanwhile, one example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,451, issued on Mar. 9, 2004 and entitled “Method and arrangement for objective assessment of video quality”, and another example is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2002-23356, filed on Apr. 29, 2002 and entitled “Apparatus and method for objective measurement of video quality”. These technologies relate to general methods for assessment of digital video quality. However, these technologies do not yet consider the above-described characteristics that when a reference video exists, the criterion for human's assessment of video quality with respect to color video contents is greatly influenced by factors such as shapes and textures of objects that commonly exist in the reference video and the target video, and when a reference video does not exist, the criterion is greatly influenced by color related factors, such as brightness or sharpness.